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Warp Drive Project
Officially non-political and part of the National Parks Service. The Warp Drive Project is tasked with running the Galan Database. In practice they have been farming out parts of the database, getting it on the net for anyone to work on and aggressively open sourcing anything they find. The Project Headquarters is an abandoned military airport in Long Beach Ca. with shops, offices, residences, and two blimp hangers that date from the second world war. They have Ane and Aneilogs hanging out there, a pair of Alien shipwreck survivors (different ships), and quirky geniuses by the pint. Smart spies take the tour. It's as informative as breaking in and less risky. Security uses tricorders. It is an open and slightly strange hot house of learning and discovery. People Known to be On the Project *'Susan Anderson --' Astronaut First Woman on the Moon AND Mars, first woman faster than light. *'Ane --' Several and Sundry. In general no better informed than everyone else, and want the project to succeed. They help with daycare, stress relief, and math. Therilan has supplied a telepathic interface and patched it into the project computers. *'Aneilogs --' Bipedal Ane. they have shown up since the trip Therilan took to a place called Coventry. They have hands and don't teleport. They are digging in to the project. *'Anthony --' A Greyhawken "god" that is present mainly to facilitate the use of the gate. The gatekeeper. He also acts as a trade liaison between Earth and Greyhawke. This hardly takes all of his time. Available to talk on magic, teach Quenya, discuss blacksmithing, or any such. General nice guy and easy to get along with. Did I mention half Centaur? *'Betty Ashby --' Adapted bat girl that did a good deal of growing on the project grounds. She is hooked up with the Blackmanes. (Astral Flame) *'Jennifer Ashby --' Security and combat Mom. see "Ashbys" *'Steven Ashby --' Director, Astronaut, see "Ashbys" *'Paul Buildit --' Spacecraft systems engineer. Short sleeved button down white shirt and bow tie. *'Pete Conrad --' Apollo Astronaut, First man on Mars, first FTL mission *'"Crystaline" Cristina Lynn Barford --' Computer TK expert. Cristina can manipulate computers at the chip level. Her practical experience overcomes her lack of formal education. She and Ed Finch are an Item planing on becoming a couple. *'Clark Cannon --' Head of the sensor team, local tricorder expert. *'Simon Daklander --' US INS. Mr Daklander is the US liaison for the Lost Persons Treaty. He doubles as the INS agent at the WDP as well. The treaty doesn't take much of his time thankfully. *'Dr Freeman J. Dyson --' Yes, that Dr. Dyson. Currently working his little academic tail off on the Warp Drive Project and loving every minute of it. *'Edgar Eager --' Shuttle Astronaut First FTL mission, first Mars landing. *'Edmond --' Local wild AI computer brought in from the cold. Edmond is happy to have useful work to do, and people of an ethical nature to talk to. *'Favel --' Favel is an Alien from yet another hole in the universe. He is not a formal member of the project but is willing to lend a hand and has. *'Ed Finch --' Now spending the majority of his time at the Project. Between the science and the girl he doesn't have a chance. *'Danial Fogg --' Autistic robotics genius self taught and tutored by an Alien that calls himself "Chevy Impala" AKA Ingala Fruupurp. *'Ingala Fruupurp --'''Shipwrecked Alien that has yet to make much of a mark. He is willing to help, but is a poor fit for Earth society. Formerly went by the name of Chevy Impala. (''Yes, this was a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]). *'Dr. Elizabeth German --' Medical engineering *'Guinan --' El Alurian woman that was found shipwrecked. Good social sciences type. Her Science Fiction Novel The Storm from Orion, discussing the Great Orion Empire is becoming more popular with those that can read between the lines. The critics think it stinks; job accomplished. *'Ricky Guy --' Security. *'Dr. Ramond Knomuch --' Warp coil department. *'Mickey Mann --' Security Guy. *'Jimmy Owens -- ' Red headed freckled, doesn't look a day over twelve, can punch out a Mack truck. Former Navy Seal Likes SF "nerd" stuff. Accompanied Betty to the Furry Con. Apparently furry girls don't press his lust buttons. *'Robert Stalk -- '''A short balding Ex PI Stalk lost is license over a "Beyond" case in central Arkansas that he undertook on his own accord. He slipped away before B-13 could clean it up, and get him inducted. He was induced after the Vampire Stalkers Incident. Stalk is a known fried chicken addict. He works security on the investigative side. (B-13) *'Therilan --''' General helper and tech type. She is an Ane History Scout, fully "out" since The Trial for Peoplehood. She likes the people here and loves being the Ashby "Aunt". She still does her primary and secondary jobs; being a scout, reading everything in sight, and working to heal people at the Big Sur Mental Health Clinic. She is usually seen around the project as an Aneilog. *'Uhura Young --' Head of IT. She and "Lapilan" her Ane built "IBM Thinkpad" AI computer are the core of the team's computer tech division. (In the know, trusted) Sister Organizations The Corp of Discovery --''' Currently in the formative phases. The Corp of Discovery Academy is being built on the Moon. Technology Discovered and Developed Because of the Project 'Ares II --' Impulse Spacecraft: Passenger version of the Delta i. Used mainly for orbit to Moon travel. '''Boeing 808 Starliner -- Impulse power orbital capable Areospace liner: Requires a runway, cannot land on the Moon. Delta I "Ares" -- ' (Delta "Eye" not Delta One). cargo lift with twice the capacity of a shuttle, but light on passenger space. These are the craft building the Far Side Observatory and research facility. Runway or vertical take off and landing. '''Gamma Lifter --' Lockmart Second generation dual mode aerospace passenger and cargo craft. It can carry 100 persons and luggage or equivalent cargo to the Moon and back. 'Gravity/Antigravity --' Solved. Compact anti-gravs are available. With a trick demonstrated by one of the Alien refugees at the project; build the grids of smaller gravity cones. Bam, the thing worked. instead of trying to balance on several large cones that eat the power build the small grids. Bigger is not always better. Home build flying cars started to come out of the garage within weeks of the first published results. The FAA is scrambling to adjust. 'Impulse Ground Space Ground 45 "Lancer" -- ' Aerospace Plane: The size of a large executive jet. The love child of a Exucitive jet and the old Dyna Soar. Six couches, a hold of equal size. If you fit it with all couches it will carry twelve but you have to evacuate the craft or match a lock. They are used mainly for transport to orbit and back, or for ground to groud hypersonic sub-orbital travel. They are comfortable enough to stay in for a day or two if you cut the crew to four. That gives you sleeping room. Yes they have a toilet. 'Impulse reactors/generator --' The power plant that is changing the world. Truck sized and larger fusion electric generators. They are filling Krellite cells and killing big energy. Fusion reactors have been mounted in locomotives and on ships. 'Krellite Cells --' The battery everyone wanted. Being held for the murder of the internal combustion engine. A car equipped with krellite cells can travel across North America on a single charge, and at highway speeds. 'Lancer 50/50g --' The size of an old 737 with a profile more like the Long EZ from Advanced Composites. The Lancer 50 is equipped with reaction and landing jets and can land on the Moon or Mars. They have less room as what would have been the cargo deck is full of machinery. The model is being refitted with gravity plates. Gravity equipped models are called the 50g. '''Matter-Antimatter Reactor -- a functioning reactor and warp core has been built. And has been used in a warp prototype. Mars Bases -- Three bases currently and one space station. A fourth base on the shield to mine rare elements for warp coils is being built. Moon Bases -- Permanent near side and far side bases. The Tranquility Science Station is the primary near side base. A tourist hotel for 200 the Virgin Diana Resort is in operation as well. Far Side Observatory is run by the WDP and JPL jointly. Orion II "Sheppard class" --''' Impulse interplanetary ship: 1500 tons 350 feet long. crew of 50. It has two airlocks, crew quarters a galley, medical bay, bridge, engineering, wardroom, can dock and carry 2 Lancers or a single Delta i, and so forth. All the comfort of an old flush deck four stacker. Which for a space craft is the bleedin' Ritz. 'Orion III cruiser -- ' Bending metal. 3000 tons, crew of 100. 420 feet long and full gravity. An impulse ship with the capacity to have a warp drive added at a latter date. This one will be armed and has force fields for shielding and to stiffen the structure of the craft. Smooth skinned all components are inside the hull (Hanger deck!). 'Phasers --' Weapon: Replacing firearms at least with the police. Three stun levels, one lethal. Stun only models are also for sale. They have ring locks as a standard feature. Various manufactures are experimenting with the settings. Ruger claims a phaser that goes to "11". You need an extremal power pack for it. Remington is exploring the market for the long phaser. A sniper phaser now exists. Smith & Wesson is exploring the size factor, how small can an effective weapon be made. 'Protein Sequencer --' Artificial meat. Fit for Human consumption, three times the price of the real thing. The first carnculture rigs are headed for Mars and the Moon. 'Regeneration --' Process discovered at the Mayo Clinic. It is about to enter medical practice. '''Space stations -- Permanent presence in space. Several stations have been built. One, Aquarius Station, is solely for space tourists. Gagarin Station is used to build the Orion II class ships. Heinlein Station is the first free enterprise space station. Tri-recorder Sensor package -- A heavy suitcase sized device that reads and records several wave bands in both active and passive sensor modes. In addition to the expected audio/visual, it detects magnetic and gravitic forces, eletro-magnetic energy outside the visible range. In the active mode it can closely examine life forms for anomalies and detect hidden weapons. A tricorder as it is called requires a two to three man team to operate. WDX-100 -- ' Warp Drive X-100. Unmanned proof of concept. Tested successfully. Resources '"The Gadget" --''' 23rd century "Vulcan shuttle" with warp sled. A gift from the Ane History Scouts. '''Vulcan Scout -- Non functional, but a useful expression of the art. El-Aurian Runabout -- Again, damaged, but something to study. Dilithum -- Recovered from Builder Station The Beast -- Kulad warp drive ship, damaged and partly functional. 'Galan Database --' A gift from the Ane History Scouts 'Orion Wreckage --' Wrecks hauled back from Barnard's Star by the ADF Rubicon. A result of the aborted Orion raid on Earth. Category:Groups Category:Technology Category:Aliens Category:Outsiders